Safety device for elevators.



No. 809,320. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. F. S. PAYNE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed April 20, 1905. Serial No. 256.518.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED S. PAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,

device is designed to prevent the fall of the elevator-car, which would otherwise result from the breaking or pulling out of the lifting-cables whenever the car fails to stop at the proper limit of its upward travel.

The objects of my invention are to provide a safety device which shall instantly catch and hold the elevator-car should the hoisting machinery either through the negligence of the operator or any defect in the machinery fail to stop when the car has reached the proper limit of its upward travel and the car be thus allowed to pass the point of safety. I accomplish these objects by the means hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of an elevator-shaft, the top part of an elevator-car with its lifting-cables, the overhead beams, sheaves, &c., and my invention as herein described. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the front elevation of my invention with dotted lines showing device when locked, some of the parts being shown partiallyin section. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of tongue-piece H.

A represents the elevator-car; B, the crosshead to which are attached lifting-cables E; C, the overhead beams supporting sheaves DD; E, the lifting-cables attached to cross-head B and passing over sheaves D D to the windingdrum (not shown) of the operating mechanism.

F F represent the ordinary guide-shoes attached to cross-head B and in engagement with guide-rails Gr Gr.

H H are tongue-pieces rigidly attached to overhead beams C and having shank h and movable latches it it. Latches it h are attached to shank h by means of studs 71. 721 and are normally kept open or apart by means of springs if k in addition to the force of gravitation.

I preferably construct shank it with a recess, as at it", so as to allow latches h it to fold up when passing through aperture h of plate k and also so as to form a solid bearing-surface for the lower ends of latches it"lt. Plate it is rigidly attached to the elevatorcar, preferably to cross-head B.

In the construction herein shown I have adopted for the purpose of clearly illustrating the position of the various parts I-beams h and show plate 71 as being attached thereto and the beams k as being attached to crosshead B. In order to prevent the possible shearing-off of latches 72/71., I preferably provide shoulders it 7&8 on plate it, which allow latches it It to open only to a given point 'sufficiently to give bearing-surface to the top of latches 7t 71 when interlocked with plate it.

WVhile Fig. 1 of the drawings accompanying the foregoing specification shows my invention in duplicate as applied to an elevator, I do not limit myself to such construction. For instance, I may change the location of the device and have but one tongue-piece and one plate, or I may have one tongue-piece and one latch thereon or two tongue-pieces with one latch each, in either of which cases my invention would still be operative.

My invention operates as follows: VVhenever the elevator-car is allowed to ascend sufficiently, plate it will commence to pass upward on tongue-piece H, the aperture [L5 being of sufiicient size to allow a clear passage.

-As the upward movement of the car continues,

latches h h will be forced back toward each other on shank it against the action of springs b if until plate it shall have passed upward and beyond the upper end of latches 7t it. The action of springs it 7L3 and the force of gravitation will then immediately cause latches it it to open outward and downward until they come into contact with shoulders 72.7 if, thus interlocking plate it and tongue-piece H. In the event of the breaking, pulling out, or slackening of cables E the elevatorcar will thus be suspended from overhead beams G. The weight of the car will prevent the slipping or even the forcible pulling back of latches it it until said car has been lifted in some manner and the pressure upon latches h h relieved.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A safety device comprising a tonguepiece, a latch normally open, movably attached thereto, anda plate having an aperture, said tongue-piece and said plate beingattached, one to the elevator-car, the other to some support outside the car and both said tonguepiece and said plate being so arranged as to interlock whenever the elevator-car ascends beyond a given point within the elevator-shaft.

2. A safety device comprising a tonguepiece having a shank with latches normally open, movably attached to said shank, said tongue-piece being rigidly attached to some support above the elevator-car and a plate having an aperture, said plate being rigidly attached to the elevator-car; said tongue-piece and said plate being so arranged as to interlock whenever the elevator-car passes a given point.

3. A safety device for elevators consisting of the combination of two interlocking members, one member being a tongue-piece with latches normally open, movably attached within a recess to said tongue-piece, the other member being a plate with an aperture adapted to allow the passage of said tongue-piece causing said latch to resume its normal position after passing through said plate.

5. A safety device consisting in the combination of a tongue-piece with a latch normally open, movably attached thereto, a plate with an aperture adapted to allow said latch to pass through said plate, means for causing said latch to resume its normal position after passing through said plate, and stops on said plate to engage said latch.

6. The combination of a tongue-piece with a shank, having a recess, latches normally open, movably attached to said shank, aplate with an aperture adapted to permit the passage of said tongue-piece through said plate, means for causing said latches to close While passing through said plate, other means for causing said latches to open after passing through said plate, and stops on said plate to engage said latches.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

, FRED S. PAYNE.

Witnesses:

E. G. STOWE, IsAAc GORDON. 

